Aṇguttara Nikāya
Pañcaka Nipāta
15. Tikaṇḍaki Vaggo
The Book of the Gradual Sayings
The Book of the Fives
Chapter XV: Three-thorn Grove
Sutta 145
Niraya Suttaṃ
The Way to Hell
Translated by E. M. Hare
Copyright The Pali Text Society
Commercial Rights Reserved
For details see Terms of Use.
[1] Thus have I heard:
Once the Exalted One dwelt near Sāvatthī;
and there he addressed the monks, saying:
"Monks."
'Yes, lord,' they replied;
and the Exalted One said:
'Pursuing five things, monks,
one is surely cast into hell as the reward.
What five?
One destroys life,
takes what is not given,
lusts after evil,
lies,
and lives in the idleness
of liquor and strong drink indulgence.
Verily, monks, pursuing these five things
one is surely cast into hell as the reward.'
§
'Abstaining[ed1] from five things, monks,
one is surely cast into heaven as the reward.
What five?
One abstains from destroying life,
one abstains from taking what is not given,
one abstains from lusting after evil,
one abstains from lying,
one abstains from living in the idleness
of liquor and strong drink indulgence.
Verily, monks, abstaining from these five things
one is surely cast into heaven as the reward.'
[ed1] Hare abridges the second half of this sutta with: "But abstaining from these five things one is cast into heaven." The Pali however has (in Hare's terms) "pursuing" which Hare appears to think is an error. The confusion comes from not understanding that abstention is intentional consequently "pursued" is correct.
